What makes Blue Frenchies’s Blue?

The first time I heard about a blue french bull dog I was surprised. A blue dog I thought that has to be either a funny nick name with an interesting anecdote behind it or definitely a rare unusual breed of dogs. As I researched french bull dogs in particular blue Frenchies, as they are popularly nicknamed, I understood that blue French bull dogs were indeed a rarity.

They are popular for their rarity and their dark blue grey overtones in their coat. Even so I think its their beautiful big eyes which make them adorable to look at that makes them loved and popular home companions, sometimes brown eyes and sometimes leaning towards a hazel green their big eyes usually grow into a brown color as they grow out of puppyhood. The fact that they are rare and born less frequently as compared to other varieties of French bull dogs makes them more popular.

The Controversy Clarified

These beautiful almost regal dogs and their pure bred bloodlines are rare because of the diluted black gene they carry which the American Kennel Club breeding standards say are not optimum for breeding. This was believed to be because generation after generation of French bull dogs were being inbred and because of this line breeding over many years in past times where related dogs were bred together to create the color of the blue french blue dogs

• the black diluted recessive gene and
• other recessive genes

that may cause weak health were created. There is no medically proven research or information for this above belief. In recent times it does not hold true any longer since related blue french bull dogs are no longer bred with each other.

The gene pool is now large enough to have several healthy non related blue french bull dogs which can be bred with each other to create healthy blue puppies. So the health problems they face in recent times are pretty much the same as those faced by other non blue French bull dogs. So now a days the general belief that the puppies born from the blue French bull dog bloodlines are born unhealthy has changed as things have changed over time.

The Dilution Gene Dilemma

So what’s all the fuss about ? The blue French Bull dog’s bluish coat are the result of a recessive black dilution gene ( lets call it the ‘black’ gene) or the dilution gene as it is sometimes called.

It is this black dilution gene that gives the blue French bull dog its beautiful bluish grey coat.

So if a blue French bull dog which has the black gene from its parents is bred with another non related blue French bull dog also carrying the black gene then the puppies in their litter post breeding will all be blue French bull dogs all of whom will be carrying black dilution gene and will so express their blue characteristics with their bluish coat. If a blue French bull dog carrying the black gene is bred with a non related non blue French bull dog then chances are that perhaps half the puppies will be blue puppies and will be carriers of the black recessive gene will express the characteristics of the bluish coat.

Lastly if two non related french bull dogs who are not showing a blue color in their coat but are both carriers of the black gene are bred it may be likely that one fourth of the puppies from their litter will be blue puppies and will show all the characteristics of blue french bull dogs. In this last case some part of puppies in the litter may also be non blue french bull dogs and and some may be carriers of the black dilution gene but will not express the characteristic bluish grey coat.

There is a growing popularity of this rare breed of French bull dogs in particular as now they are healthy blue French bull dogs with genuine pedigreed bloodlines.

As I understand hopefully in the near future the AKC will change its breeding standards and the blue french bull dogs will qualify as there are now many generations of healthy blue french dogs growing healthier and healthier who are bred by responsible breeders who no longer do in line breeding. And if Hollywood celebrity Reese Witherspoon who was declared as one of PEOPLE’s most beautiful women in 2016, is a good standard to go by then blue grey French bull dogs make great lovable and good looking pets.